Interactive guitar game

ABSTRACT

An interactive game designed for learning to play a guitar. A guitar may be connected to a computer or other platform, capable of loading music and displaying notes and chords and other feedback and visual learning aids on a display screen, allowing a user to read music and play along. The goal of the software or interactive game engine is for players to learn how to play a guitar. Users may operate the game in a number of modes with different goals, playing mini-games throughout the levels of the game. The game provides feedback and statistics to help users learn how to play the guitar.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/117,053 filed Nov. 21, 2008 which application is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Learning to play a musical instrument can be an enjoyable and rewardingexperience. However, to develop proficiency in playing a musicalinstrument requires dedication, many hours of practice, and theapplication of proper playing techniques and methods.

Conventional learning tools and sources of instructional information forlearning to play a musical instrument include music teachers, musicbooks, audio tapes or compact disks (CDs), and video tapes. While eachof these offers certain advantages, each is also limited in the qualityof instruction or the manner in which the information is presented.

For example, a music teacher provides personally-tailored instruction,however the cost of the instruction is relatively expensive and eachsession is necessarily limited in both time and depth. Additionally, thestudent may be limited to learning the playing style and habits (bothgood and bad) of the particular teacher, which may limit the student'screativity and spontaneity. The practice material assigned by theinstructor is also static and is therefore unable to accommodate andadjust to the student's individual progress or proficiency.

Music books provide a relatively low-cost alternative or adjunct to amusic teacher. However, the material presented by music books isnecessarily static and if the student has difficulty reading andinterpreting music, particularly the tempo and rhythm, then music booksprovide a limited instructional capability. Additionally, music booksare not interactive and provide no feedback to the student, making itdifficult to develop a “feeling” for the music which is necessary toprogress beyond purely technical or mechanical playing. Audio tapes orcompact discs combine recorded songs and musical passages withinstructional commentary and playing tips. But still, they lack visualinstruction and feedback, which can make it difficult for the student todevelop a feeling for the music.

What is needed is an effective way to provide interactive method andsystem for learning and practicing a musical instrument, which providesboth audio and visual feedback, and an integrated learning approach.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The invention provides for an interactive guitar game designed forlearning to play the guitar. Various aspects of the invention describedherein may be applied to any of the particular applications set forthbelow. The invention may be applied as a standalone game engine systemor as a component of an integrated software solution. It shall beunderstood that different aspects of the invention can be appreciatedindividually, collectively or in combination with each other.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the followingdiscussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specification,discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,” “computing,”“calculating,” “determining,” or the like, may refer in whole or in partto the action and/or processes of a processor, computer or computingsystem, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/ortransform data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantitieswithin the system's registers and/or memories into other data similarlyrepresented as physical quantities within the system's memories,registers or other such information storage, transmission or displaydevices. It will also be appreciated by persons skilled in the art thatthe term “players” or “users” referred to herein can be individuals aswell as corporations and other legal entities, such as schools or othereducational institutions. Furthermore, the processes presented hereinare not inherently related to any particular computer, processingdevice, article or other apparatus. An example of a structure for avariety of these systems will appear from the description below. Inaddition, embodiments of the present invention are not described withreference to any particular processor, programming language, machinecode, etc. It will be appreciated that a variety of programminglanguages, machine codes, etc. may be used to implement the teachings ofthe invention as described herein.

Other goals and advantages of the invention will be further appreciatedand understood when considered in conjunction with the followingdescription and accompanying drawings. While the following descriptionmay contain specific details describing particular embodiments of theinvention, this should not be construed as limitations to the scope ofthe invention but rather as an exemplification of preferableembodiments. For each aspect of the invention, many variations arepossible as suggested herein that are known to those of ordinary skillin the art. A variety of changes and modifications can be made withinthe scope of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specificationare herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if eachindividual publication or patent application was specifically andindividually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some of the features of the invention are described as set forth in thefollowing figures and description. A better understanding of thefeatures and advantages of the invention will be obtained by referenceto the following detailed description that sets forth illustrativeembodiments provided in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the various components of theinteractive game system, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of how information flows while playing theinteractive game, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the overall game architecture, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows one example of a graphical representation of a screenshotof a moving notation on a screen, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 5 shows another example of how notes may scroll across a displayscreen, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows an example of visual feedback displayed on a displayscreen, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a timeline view of notation displayedon a display screen, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a carousel view of notation displayedon a display screen, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a guitar neck view of notes displayedon a display screen, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 shows examples of various scrolling methods for the tablaturenotation or notes on a display screen, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 11 shows an example of displaying a visual graphical representationof a guitar on the screen, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a display where the actual fingering of achord or note is displayed, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of what happens during Jukebox (or SongPlay) mode of the game, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart of what happens during Story mode of thegame, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate and example of a flowchart of what mayhappen during Story mode of the game, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example of the level structure of each level ofthe game, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 17 illustrates one example of completion indicators as used toindicate completion of levels, sub-levels and mini-games, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example of a view for two players playingsimultaneously on the same machine, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 19 shows a flowchart of the game when Multiplayer (or Online) modeis selected, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 20 shows an example of how a user's statistics may be displayed, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 21 shows an example of how the game engine may interact over anetwork such as the Internet, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.However it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art thatthe invention may be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuits havenot been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention. Variousmodifications to the described embodiments will be apparent to thosewith skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may beapplied to other embodiments. The invention is not intended to belimited to the particular embodiments shown and described.

An aspect of the invention provides an interactive game engine forlearning to play a guitar. In one embodiment of the invention, anyguitar, including a MIDI guitar, an OSC guitar, or a guitar using anyother format or protocol, is connected to a computer or other platform.The computer or platform is capable of loading music, such that it canbe displayed on a display screen in multiple ways, and allows the userto read the music and play along. The goal of the software orinteractive game engine is for players to learn how to play a guitar. Itis understood that any references herein to specific file formats do notlimit the scope of the invention, but merely provide examples of fileformats that may be used in the implementation of particular embodimentsof the invention, and various other file formats, protocols, etc. arecontemplated herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the various components of thesystem, with a computer or platform 100 which runs a game engine 120, aguitar or musical instrument 110 providing a guitar or musicalinstrument input 130, and video and audio outputs 150. The system mayalso be optionally connected to a network 140. The guitar 110 may be anytype of guitar (or other musical instrument), which the user can play,and may provide an input into the computer or platform 100, identifyingwhich strings and frets are being played by the user or the velocity ortiming with which the user plays certain notes or chords. The input maybe a composite audio signal or an isolated or discrete audio signal. Thegame engine 120 may use and process this information, and may be coupledwith a computer or other platform having a storage or memory 121.

Referring to FIG. 2, one example of how information flows duringgame-play is shown. A song may be selected from a song library 201. Asong interpreter 202 may produce a game representation of notes 210, tobe displayed by the note manager 209 on the graphics display 211. At thesame time, the song provides audio output 204. Viewing this graphicsdisplay and hearing the audio output, a user or player may play either anote or chord on the guitar 205. The signal processing module 206 mayconvert the analog or digital audio signal produced by the guitar into adigital signal read in by the computer 207 or other platform. The notemanager 209 may process the analog or digital audio signal (such as aMIDI signal or signal of another format), and compare it against theselected song. The signal may be a composite signal, or the signal maybe an isolated or discrete signal. The analog or digital audio signalmay be taken directly from a standard guitar out (by way of a ¼″ cablefrom the guitar to an input that the computer can handle (such as a ⅛″or USB) or from a hex pickup (six separated isolated channels of audio).The audio signal may be processed and used to provide feedback on thelocation, positioning, attack, velocity and action as the user playstheir guitar. Thus, the system may process the signal by polyphonicpitch detection (for composite signal parsing), or may processisolated/discrete signals. Data derived from the comparison may be fedback to the game manager 208 and further processed to update thegraphics display 211. Further, a song video 203 which corresponds to thesong selected from the song library 201 may be played in the backgroundvia the graphics display 211.

The song may be a compressed archive of the following resources: adescription XML file giving information about the song's title, author,and the location of the MusicXML file (or file of any other format). Thefile may be a standard file format used for describing both the tonalrepresentation of the song, as well as formatting information. The filemay also provide information about chord names, additional MP3 tracks(or other types of tracks), or the video file to play in the background.When the file is read in, it may be converted into both a graphicalrepresentation (for display), as well as a MIDI representation (orrepresentation in any other format). The note manager 209 may displaythe notes graphically, depending on notations that may be specified inthe file. The note manager may display the notes to the graphics display211 in time with the audio output 204 of the song selected from the songlibrary 201. The notes may be displayed in tablature, a form of musicalnotation which tells players where to place their fingers on the guitar.The notes may also be displayed in modern notation which uses afive-line staff. It is understood that various types of file formats,including but not limited to the XML or MusicXML file formats, arecontemplated.

FIG. 3 shows the choices to the user which are available when the gamestarts, and also displays the overall game architecture. The game allowsfor four different modes to be selected from the game mode selectionmenu 304: Jukebox (or Song Play) mode 310, Story mode 320, Multiplayer(or Online) mode 330, and Arcade (or Diagnostic) mode 340. The game alsomay have a game configuration module 303, which allows the user to setcertain game preferences such as: volume, game difficulty, libraryrepository options, and network configuration.

Referring to FIG. 4, one example of a graphical representation is shown.The image presented in FIG. 4 is a snapshot of a moving video imagewhich is shown on a display screen to a user. The moving image is amoving (or scrolling) notation which prompts the user to play certainchords or notes, such as indicated by a symbol 401 directed to the chordname or displaying tablature of the strings to be played, and the mannerin which to play them (i.e. the length of the chord in the song). InFIG. 4, the user is prompted to play the G-chord (the 1^(st) string atthe 3^(rd) fret, the 5^(th) string at the 2^(nd) fret, and the 6^(th)string at the 3^(rd) fret, with the 2^(nd), 3^(th), and 4^(th) stringsopen). As the song plays, the display moves, such that the notationmoves and progresses in time with the song. In the example given in FIG.4, the chords or notes move from the top-right side of the screen to thebottom-left. As shown in FIG. 4, upcoming notes 403 are also displayedand move from the top-right side of the screen towards the bottom-left.When the notes approach the hit-line or hit-area 402, the user issupposed to play the notes.

The moving (or scrolling) notation is sometimes referred to as a “notehighway” and as the song progresses, symbols which may be coloredmarkers or gems indicate notes that travel across the screen in timewith the music. The symbols' colors and positions may match those of thefrets on a guitar. Once the symbol reaches a “hit zone,” the player mustplay the indicated note.

As the user listens to the song and watches the display on a displayscreen in any version of the views described herein, the user mayattempt to play the chords and notes that he or she is prompted to play.Depending on the user's accuracy with regard to which fret and stringsare actually played, the velocity with which each note or chord isplayed, and the timing of the user's play, the game engine may calculatea score or provide the user with other feedback as to his or heraccuracy. As shown in FIG. 4, the score 404 may be shown as a numericalscore.

Referring to FIG. 5, another example of how notes may scroll across thedisplay screen for a user to play is shown. The six strings of theguitar 501 may be displayed across the screen. As a song plays, notes ortab bubbles 502 may move across the screen from the right-side to theleft-side in time with the song. The hit bar/zone 503 may indicate whenthe notes 502 are supposed to be played. When the notes 502 reach thehit bar 503, the user is supposed to play the notes 502. The notes areeither shown as individual notes with their duration of play or durationbar, 505 for example, or as chords, 502 for example. If a chord 502 isbeing played, the name of the chord 504 may also be displayed. Further,the stroke-direction may be shown in the duration bar by the strumindicator 506, by the arrows indicating which direction the user issupposed to stroke the chord. A power-up indicator may also be displayedfor game play. For example, if a user is able to play a certain numberof notes accurately, a power-up indicator may display a note that theuser may triple their score if they get the next X number of notescorrect. Thus, a power-up indicator may display some kind of scoremodifier that may become available to a user.

As the user listens to the song and watches the display on the displayscreen, the user may attempt to play the chords and notes that he or sheis prompted to play. Depending on the user's accuracy with regard towhich fret and strings are actually played, the velocity with which eachnote or chord is played, the direction of the strokes, and the timing ofthe user's play, the game engine may calculate a score and scoremodifiers 507 or provide the user with other feedback 508 as to his orher accuracy and performance, in the form of a success meter, forexample. Further, to immerse the user or player in the music, a movie orvideo 510 may be played in the background.

In FIG. 6, a more detailed example of what the visual feedback that auser experiences is shown. Whenever a user plays a correct note, points601 may be rewarded along with a textual representation of the score602. Thus, the game engine may provide both a numeric indicator forpoints scored 601 and a qualitative indicator for a correctly orincorrectly played note 602. For example, the textual representation ofthe qualitative indicator 602 may be words of encouragement or praisesuch as, “Awesome!” as shown in FIG. 6. The notes or chord 603 mayvisually appear to float from the block to which they were attached, andeventually fade and disappear as 604. Thus, the graphical indicator forthe correctly played note 603 may fade and disappear 604. As the chordsand notes are played and the feedback is presented to the user, theperformance or success meter 607 (or score and score modifiers 605) maybe updated. In addition, the actual note played by the user may also beindicated. Further, the game may provide for a background audience audiofeedback, which provides audio output mimicking an audience watching theuser's performance. As the user plays a particular song, the volume ofthe background audiences may be updated in accordance with his or herperformance. Thus, the game engine may provide new audio and videofeedback based on the success or failure of the user.

Many different views of the scrolling notation are possible. Forexample, FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a timeline view of thescrolling notation, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.As shown in the timeline view, the notes 703, 705 may scroll from theright side 701 to the left side 702. There may also be a video in thebackground 707 and an audio track timed to the scrolling notes 703, 705.Before play begins, the user may be given a one bar count off, derivedfrom the tempo and time signature of an audio file. As the notes reach aregion towards the left side of the screen (the hit area 704), the usermay play those notes on their guitar. The user may receive a score 706,which is updated as the user plays along, to reflect how close to theactual hit line the user played the note, or if the user missed the noteall together. The score may also reflect a note streak (how many notesthe user has correctly and accurately played in a row), the number ofhits (how many notes the user has played correctly in the song orexercise) and a accuracy rating (the percentage of notes that the userhas played correctly in the song or exercise). Depending on the user'saction, the view may also give the user visual feedback by changing therepresentation of the note. As the user's score changes, different crowdnoises may be provided as audio feedback.

If there are no notes on the screen, the interface may display the nextoffscreen note on the far right of the screen so as to alert the user ofan upcoming note. The interface may also display certain metricsregarding the user's performance, including a score and a current notestreak 706. Additionally, the interface may display a timeline for awhole song, broken into sections, showing the user where they are andgiving a general sense as to how the user did on a particular section ofa song. For example, a user's progress may be tracked by a progress bar708, which indicates how far along the user is in the song, or if theuser is currently playing in the introduction, chorus, bridge, a solobreakout, etc. The interface elements may be done as 2D overlays onto a3D space. The lines representing the guitar may be 3D curves starting atthe right side far back 702, expanding and coming nearer as theyapproach the left side of the screen 701. The inside of the note bubble703 may contain the number of the fret to be pressed. A bubblecontaining the note or chord name may also scroll with any note or chordabove the strings.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a carousel view of the scrollingnotation, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In thecarousel view, note bubbles with frets 803 (or other note symbols) mayalso be displayed, in addition to note or chord names above the strings805. Rather than scrolling from left to right, however, the notes maycircle around clockwise and rotate. Thus, the notes will repeat, afterthe carousel completes each rotational cycle. The carousel 800 may besemi-transparent or translucent such that some of the notation isdisplayed in the foreground (or a front portion) 801, and some of thenotation is displayed in the background (or a back portion) 802. Becausethe carousel 800 may be translucent, notation displayed in thebackground may be viewable by the user through the foreground. As thenotation rotates, the notation displayed in the foreground 803 isrotated to the background 802, and vice versa (i.e. the notationdisplayed in the foreground may travel along the carousel to thebackground, and vice versa, in a circular manner). If the note is playedby the user within the time that the note symbol is displayed within ahit zone 804, the note may change in color in a certain number ofstages, or other real-time feedback of the user's accuracy with regardto the notes and timing may be provided to the user, such as in a scorebox 806. For example, there may be three stages, and when a user plays anote within the hit zone 804, then the note may be change in color (i.e.from the color indicating stage 1 to the color indicating stage 2.Alternatively, if the user misses a note, then the note may change incolor (i.e. from the color indicating stage 2 to the color indicatingstage 1). In carousel view, a game may be complete when the user hasgotten a percentage of the notes from stage 1 up to stage 3, forexample. The score may be a function of how many notes over the minimumpercentage that the user got, as well as how many cycles it took to doit in. The progress bar 808 may indicate how many notes the user hasgotten up to the completion point by a percentage. If the user takeslonger than ten cycles, for example, the user may fail and receive nopoints. The carousel view may be used to work on sections of songs. Thedisplay may also include a 1 bar count off at the beginning and a secondor so of dead space at the end so that the track loop can be faded outand then in again as it cycles through. In carousel view, a video 807may be played in the background, or a user may select any other type ofstatic or dynamic image or video to be displayed as the background whilethe user plays the song.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a guitar neck view of the scrollingnotation, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In theguitar neck view, notes 901 may be displayed in a two-dimensional gridon top of a representation of a guitar fretboard. Also, a line of boxesof the displayed notes' names 902 may be shown. When the user has playedor has missed a note, the note color may be updated accordingly, and thenext note in line may be highlighted, such as is shown by 905. The viewof the fretboard may be moveable to accommodate the positions of thenotes being displayed. For example, if the current chord is on the thirdand fifth frets, the view may contain at least the upper third of thefretboard. Then if the next note is on the fifteenth, sixteenth andseventeenth frets, the view may contain the middle third of thefretboard. The transition from one part of the fretboard to another maybe smooth and quick. The view may also display a progress bar at thebottom, for example, to show the user how far through the song that heor she is, or the user's score or other relevant feedback may be shownin a scorebox 903. A fullscreen video 904 may also be shown in thebackground.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, when displaying the notes scrolling acrossa screen in a tablature notation, various scrolling layouts (or arcs)can be employed by the various embodiments of the invention. As can beseen, in a single player mode, the scrolling may be simply horizontal,or may be curved in one or more directions such that the notes travel inan arc. Further, in multiplayer modes, the scrolling can be similarlyhorizontal or curved in one or more directions. The scrolling notationmay appear as 2D “Linear” scrolling (1000, 1010), 3D “Racetrack”scrolling (1001, 1011), or 2D “Y” scrolling (1002, 1012), as shown ineach of the figures in FIG. 10. In each case, the notes scroll acrossthe screen in a tablature notation, but the direction of scrolling andshape of scrolling may differ in various embodiments of the invention.

It is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, that manydifferent variations of this display image are contemplated by theinvention, and the invention is not limited to the specific details ofthe examples as shown and described herein.

Thus, the interactive game engine may serve as a tool for guitar playersto visually learn how to play the guitar. In FIG. 11, as describedabove, a visual graphical representation of the guitar 1101 may bedisplayed on the display screen. The user can easily compare this totheir own guitar that they are learning how to play. In one embodimentof the invention, the chord that is to be played is represented by ashaded bar or hit line/zone 1102 that runs vertically across the screen.As the note or chord is supposed to be played, the opacity of the noteson particular frets may change, as can be seen near 1103. On deck, witha different perhaps lighter opacity or a different color, the next notesto be played 1104 may be shown. A scrolling line may also indicate hittime, the chord name 1105, and the strum direction 1106.

The display of the game engine can be varied in several ways and mayinclude (a) a display where notes scroll across a screen in a tablaturenotation, as described above, or (b) a display where the actualfingering of the chord is displayed as shown in FIG. 12, and/or (c)interactive videos. For example, in an interactive video display, theguitar neck 1201 may be shown with the guitar fret numbers 1202 labeled.As shown in FIG. 12, the display may show actual fingering of the chordby a semi-opaque animated hand position indicator 1203, and may changeas the notes or chords in the song are played. A user then, may be ableto improve upon his or her finger placement by mimicking what is shownon the display screen. The display may show, by indicating fingerplacement, which frets and which strings are being utilized, and mayalso show the direction of the stroking of the chord or notes. Thedisplay may, in addition, highlight the frets to be pressed 1204. Manydifferent types of display are contemplated by the invention, and theinvention is not limited to the specific mini-games as described herein.

The view may also be varied such that the tab may be displayed in astandard way such that the vertical string order is ascending, and alsoin an inverted tab display such that the vertical string order isreversed with the low string on top and the high string on the bottom.Further, the guitar neck may be displayed for a right-handed player, andmay also be flipped on a horizontal axis so as to mirror that of aleft-handed perspective. Further, as described, a finger view may alsopresent a real-time three dimensional render or video of the properfinger positions or location for a note or chord.

As described earlier, when the game starts, the user may choose fromfour different game modes from the game selection screen: Story mode,Jukebox (or Song Play) mode, Arcade (or Diagnostic) mode, andMultiplayer (or Online) mode.

In Jukebox (or Song Play) mode, the game engine may allow a user totarget certain weaknesses in technique or with certain songs, andpractice and improve upon those particular weaknesses. A user may, inJukebox (Song Play) mode, play through tracks of a song using tablatureor note names. The game engine allows a user to learn and grow bylearning core elements of certain songs and the mechanics needed to playthem. A beginning user may choose to view the song in a view displayingtablature, and a more advanced user may be able to play through a songjust using note names or chord diagrams. Referring to FIG. 13, when theuser chooses the Jukebox (or Song Play) mode 1300, the user may select asong 1301. The user may either play the song 1302 or may defer to thegame engine to decide which areas of the song that the player or userneeds to work on 1303. The song may be broken out into certain sectionsor parts, which represent different levels of play. Alternatively,different levels may be different songs of different levels ofdifficulty. Or, the different levels may represent different playingskills that a guitarist would like to learn or need to practice or workon. One skilled in the art can appreciate that the different levels maybe defined in many ways, and that the invention is not limited to thespecific descriptions or examples as described herein.

In Jukebox (Song Play) mode, a user may choose to play a song 1301 fromany track in their library 1301. The library may include pre-installedmusic or music purchased or downloaded from a music store. Users maychoose to view tablature or notes in a timeline view.

If a user has trouble with a particular section of a song, the user (orthe game engine) may switch to a carousel view and have the user repeatthat section until the user improves. Thus, the game engine may assessthe user's past performance and provide the user with exercises or gamesto target the areas that the user needs to work on in step 1303, and thegame engine may then appropriately determine or form a selection ofmini-games to be played in step 1304. As the user selects the mini-gamefrom the options provided by the game engine to play in step 1305 andplays the game in step 1306, the user is practicing various skills orsongs or sections of songs and targeting certain weaknesses in order toimprove overall performance. Users may also adjust the speed, complexityand sub-mode (or mini-game) that they play. The results of each gameplayed may be stored in step 1309. After the user plays a mini-game, theuser may play another game 1307 or return to the main menu 1308.

In one embodiment, Jukebox (or Song Play) mode may have three differentsub-modes (or mini-games): Wait, Challenge, and Stage Ready. In Waitsub-mode, a user may be allowed to play along with a song, and the goalmight be to play along without missing a note. The notation may bepresented in a right-to-left scrolling manner, and there may be a musicvideo playing in the background. The game may wait until the user hasplayed the necessary notes correctly before progressing. Wait sub-modemay mimic what an individual does when they are trying to figure out asong alone in their room. However, because the real song and video areplaying along with the user, Wait sub-mode may create an emotionalcompulsion to play in time, positively reinforcing when the user isplaying correctly in time with the song. In addition to the emotionalcompulsion, the timing may create a win/loss metric. For example, theuser may only have thirty seconds of overtime to play the song, and ifthe user does not complete the song within this period of time, then theuser may be required to repeat the game. A user's score when playingthis game may be based on “Time Scoring” as further described below.

In Challenge sub-mode, the user will be faced with the same game as inWait sub-mode, except the system may not longer wait for the user. Thus,the user is evaluated on accuracy and timing. This information may betracked and if the user is having trouble on a particular section of asong, or with particular chords or notes, then the user may be directedtowards other mini-games or sub-modes which will help the user masterthat aspect of play. The user may also be given real-time feedback onaccuracy, position, playing, correct streaks, and duration. Further,there may be a music video playing in the background. A user's scorewhen playing this game may be based on “Standard Scoring” as furtherdescribed below.

In Stage-Ready sub-mode, the notation representation may be omitted. Theuser may be shown only a music video, and whether the user is gettingher notes correct or incorrect. The goal of this sub-mode may be todisplay true mastery of a song. The user may also be given real-timefeedback on accuracy, position, playing, correct streaks, and duration.Further, there may be a music video playing in the background. A user'sscore when playing this game may be based on “Standard Scoring” asfurther described below.

In Story mode, users may create certain profiles, in which theircharacters learn certain songs and play certain mini-games. The user maybe encouraged then to practice with certain characters, and thus createsprofiles in which his accomplishments or game-performance statistics aresaved. Story mode may employ a framing narrative that takes a beginninguser from never having picked up a guitar before through masteringrhythm guitar and basic music theory. The narrative story may frame aprogression of mini-games in which the user is taken throughincreasingly advanced modes and increasingly difficult songs throughmany levels of play. Story mode may take advantage of any mini-game (orsub-mode) or view in a structured, leveled environment. The songs inStory mode may alternate between custom content for certain levels andspecially tagged songs in a user's pre-loaded library. Thus, as a usermoves through a narrative, the user may select and master music that theuser cares about. At the end of the leveled system and narrative, theuser's skill at rhythm guitar and the user's fundamental understandingof music theory may improve as a byproduct of compelling play, as theuser acquires skills as the user plays the game.

In FIG. 14, a flowchart of the game when Story mode is selected isshown. In Story mode, the user may either create a new character in step1403 or continue an old game in step 1401. If the user elects tocontinue an old game in step 1401, then the user may select a characterto load in step 1402, the character may load in step 1410, the currentlevel of play may load in step 1405, the user may play at that currentlevel in 1406, and the game statistics may be saved in 1407. If the userbeats the level or accomplishes whatever requirements the level has instep 1408, then the user may advance to the next level. If the user doesnot beat the level or meet the requirements in step 1408, then the usermay need to repeat the same level in 1409. If the user elects to createa new character in 1403, then the user will follow the same steps,except the user will start at Level 1 in 1404.

As an example, a user may, in the first chapter (or Level 1) of theStory, learn core skills of a guitar player. For example, the firstthing that a beginning user may do is to make sure they are in tune. Auser, in Level 1, may learn how to tune their instrument and how torecognize when the instrument is out of tune. As further describedbelow, an on-screen tuning system may allow the user to play one stringat a time until the guitar is in tune. Users may revisit this tuningview later at anytime, and the software may also detect when the guitaris out of tune to ask the user to re-tune the guitar.

The tuning guide may aid the user in tuning their guitar, and mayconsist of a display of a diagram of each string, highlighting thecurrent string being played. A note name may indicate what tone thesystem is receiving from the guitar, and a graph may highlight whetherthat note is flat or sharp from the ideal note. When the string is intune, the string may be highlighted. Strings that are not currently intune may be darkened or otherwise displayed to indicate their status. Atthe end of the process, the user may be asked to strum the guitar tomake sure that all of the strings are in tune.

The tuning system may also be displayed as a Quick Tuner appearing inone small corner of the screen (e.g., the bottom right of the screen).After analyzing a note, the Quick Tuner may display to the user whatnote was played and whether the note was flat or sharp. A coloredportion inside of the box may be yellow, for example, and lean flat forflat notes, turn the light below yellow and highlight the word “Flat”within the box. When the note is sharp, the color box may change colorsto red, for example, and lean to the right, turn the light right, andhighlight “Sharp” within the box. When in tune, the box may disappearand the light may turn to green, for example. The flat and sharp notesmay be indicated in any number of ways.

Level 1 of Story mode may also introduce users to the guitar neck fretview. Users may become familiar with relating the fret numbers todifferent places on the guitar neck. A display may show certainhighlighted notes, and then the user may play those highlighted notes atthe user's own pace. Other guitar skills may be presented throughmini-games or sub-modes, and in different views, where the user can bechallenged to improve their ability and beat their friend's and theirown, high scores. The Story may be broken up into days or differentlevels. For example, Story mode may span 90 days, which take the userthrough many different skills involved in playing a guitar.

FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate an example of a user's play through Storymode. Each box labeled “Animation Interstitial” represents the storyframes that the game progresses through, which frame each exercise orgame that is presented to the user. For example, a user may first bepresented with a fret view of open strings to play a game that helps theuser improve upon his or her picking skills, and then next presentedwith a timeline view of open strings to play a game that helps the userplay in time, etc. As the user moves through the mini-games, the gameengine presents a series of frames to transition from one mini-game toanother.

An example of content of a Story, such as the frames to transition fromone mini-game to another, may be as follows:

[shot: external, guitar shot on street]

[shot: dolly in through door opening (1^(st) person)]

[shot: rocker guy in guitar shop addressing camera]

Hey, welcome to your first day. Here's the deal, we've got to put abunch of guitars on the floor and we've got to make sure they're inworking order.

-   -   {EXERCISE: guitar parts}

[shot: rocker guy in guitar shop addressing camera, girl walking aroundin the background]

Cool. Good Job. Look, you're going to get a lot of newbies in hereasking you all sorts of questions, so you better make sure you know yourstuff. We're going to get you playing guitar soon, but first thing wegotta do is make sure you're in tune.

-   -   {EXERCISE: tuning}

[shot: rocker guy in guitar shop addressing camera, girl walking aroundin background (seen through practice room window)]

OK, so you know your stuff. I'm going to put you in the trial room, justto set the tone in there. All you've got to do is play open strings.

-   -   {CHECK: tuning}    -   {EXERCISE: open string song}

[shot: rocker guy in guitar shop addressing camera, girl walking aroundin the background (seen through practice room window)]

Cool. Let's check out your skills.

-   -   {CHECK: tuning}    -   {EXERCISE: open string SIGHT SINGING}

[shot: rocker guy in guitar shop addressing camera, girl walks overbehind rocker]

ROCKER: Awesome

GIRL: Gosh that took me forever, you mastered that really quickly. [girlwalks away]

Thus, the user may bond with the characters within the Story, as theuser spends more time interacting with the system and playing theexercises or mini-games. Each level then, is somewhat like an “Act” in aplay or story. For example, the following could be some acts in Storymode:

Act 1

SKILLS: beginning knowledge, basic fret/guitar chords

STORY: meet guitar store guy, meet love interest. End of act 1, meetband guy who invites user to come by and play rhythm for his band.

Act 2

SKILLS: more chords, more frets

STORY: band practice space, playing songs, learning chords, timing,listening to other instruments, rock trivia/influences. Show announced.

Act 3

SKILLS: more chords, more frets

STORY: band plays small clubs, playing songs, band dynamics (band reactspoorly if user plays poorly), rock trivia/influences. Big showannounced. Play big show. Love interest reacts favorably. Band matecomes backstage and says, “Cheers! We just got signed! We're going ontour!”

Referring to FIG. 16, each level 1610 may have various sub-levels whichinclude exercises for various songs 1604, 1605, 1606, 1607, and 1608 ofa certain level. For example, if level 1610 is a beginning level, then1604, 1605, 1606, 1607, and 1608 may include exercises for fivedifferent songs for beginners. Alternatively, the level 1610 may havevarious segments or sub-levels 1604, 1605, 1606, 1607, and 1608, whichrepresent sections of the same song. Thus, alternatively, the level mayhave various sub-levels which have broken up one song into variousparts, and have various exercises focused on these segmented parts ofthe song. These sub-levels 1604, 1605, 1606, 1607, and 1608 may make upone level 1610. Each sub-level 1604, 1605, 1606, 1607, and 1608 may havea series of exercises or mini-games 1601, 1602 and 1603. There may beseveral types of exercises, lessons or mini-games as later described.Each sub-level may also have a mini-boss level 1602 in which a user isrequired to play a song fully through or an entire segment of a songfully through, or even a sub-level boss 1603 in which certain accuracyor performance requirements must be met by the user. The boss orsuper-boss sub-levels may reflect a more difficult challenge, forexample, the most challenging part of a song, or may require the user toreach certain levels of accuracy.

The game engine may offer various different levels, each with its ownsub-levels and mini-games, which can be selected by the user. It shouldbe noted that the different levels may be incorporated in any of themodes: Jukebox (Song Play) mode, Story mode, Multiplayer (Online) mode,or Arcade (Diagnostic) mode.

Referring to FIG. 17, as the user advances or completes certainmini-games, the menu may indicate completion of the level group 1701, asshown in FIG. 17. For example, the user may have completed Level 1, soinstead of showing the various games and sub-levels available as part ofthe menu, the menu may simply display a completion indicator, such as acheck-mark 1702, to show that the user has completed the level groupLevel 1 (1701). If the user has not yet completed a level group, such asLevel 2 shown in FIG. 17, then the menu may display the varioussub-levels and mini-games that the user may play. For example, in FIG.17, the menu displays the yet to be played sub-level 1705, the partiallycompleted sub-level 1706, and the completed sub-level 1707. If the userhas completed a certain sub-level, for example, that particularsub-level may be displayed as completed with a completion indicator,such as a check-mark 1707. For the various mini-games, sub-levelmini-boss, and sub-level boss, if the user has not completed suchmini-games, the lack of completion may be shown by an open-circle,square or star, for example. As the user completes the variousmini-games within each sub-level, the completion may be indicated by afilled-in circle, square or star, for example. In any case, the gameengine may track which levels, sub-levels, and mini-games have beencompleted by the user. Further, the game engine may respond to theuser's performance, and offer certain mini-games which cater to a user'sparticular weaknesses with regard to certain note or chord sequences,timing, etc. For example, if a user continues to mess up or make errorsand mistakes on a particular chord sequence or in a particular sectionof a song, the game engine may create mini-games to address that, andthe user may be allowed to practice those weaknesses through thoseparticular mini-games. Thus, there may be visual indicators provided tothe user to show how much of a song the user has learned.

By choosing the Multiplayer (or Online) mode from the game selectionmenu, the user may participate in playing the mini-games or other gamesagainst other users or players. Thus, guitar playing becomes a socialactivity. Multi-player modes may enable users to play with their friendsat their own speed, thus encouraging users to play together even if theyhave varied levels of skill. One option is for users to play in a LiveMultiplayer sub-mode. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, two players mayplay simultaneously on the same machine. The view may be split by aprogress bar 1801, thus showing two scrolling notations (1802 and 1803),one for each user. If a user is competing against other players whilethe user plays a particular song or game, the user's status may be shownon the screen (1804, 1805). The user's status (1804, 1805) may includethe user's score, number of notes that they have hit, the user'saccuracy rating, etc. Each user may have his own score box to track hisprogress. The users can play the same track, or different tracks if theyare available for the current song. A music video, or any other video orimage selected by the user 1806 may be displayed.

Another option is for users to play in a Mail Multiplayer sub-mode. Inthis sub-mode, after an individual user finishes a song play through,the individual user can choose to send a mail challenge to a friend orto another user. The other user will be notified of a pending challenge,and the next time they login will be able to attempt to beat theirfriend's score. In one embodiment, if the user does not alreadycurrently own the song, they may be able to play the song once for free.The user may also be prompted to purchase the song before responding tothe challenge, for example, if they have already sampled the song oncefor free previously. While attempting to beat their friend's score, aprogress bar may indicate how well they are doing versus their friend.Users may be able to play as many times as they want to try to beattheir friend's score. If they do succeed in achieving a higher score,then the challenge may be returned to the initial user, and the initialuser may try to beat the new high score.

FIG. 19 shows a flowchart of the game when Multiplayer (or Online) modeis selected. In step 1901, the Multiplayer (or Online) mode is selected.The opponent may be selected in step 1902, by the user 1903, by thelevel 1904, or by the channel 1905. After the opponent is selected, thenthe particular game to be played must be selected in step 1906. As thegame is played 1907, the interactive elements and results will bedisplayed 1908.

In Arcade (or Diagnostic) mode, a user may play whatever songs andexercises there are in the game engine or user's library of music. Forexample, a user may be able to play all of the songs and exercisespackaged with the game, unlockable content, and downloadable content.The user may practice full length songs or partial portions of songs inArcade (or Diagnostic) mode. Arcade (or Diagnostic) mode is a collectionof all of the games that comprise the overall system, and may allowusers to play particular games that they like for any reason. Thisallows the user to focus on experience points, which are assigned basedon the time the user spends playing each mode.

Mini Games:

Many different types of “mini-games” may be played using the gameengine, some of which have been previously described. As anotherexample, a user may play a mini-game, “Notes in a row,” in which a usertries to play as many scrolling notes as they can until they make amistake. If a user can play a certain number of “notes in a row” theywill pass or win the mini-game. If they do not, then they may have toplay again. “Notes in a row” may increase in difficulty in the variouslevels by increasing the tempo of the scrolling notes, increasing thenote complexity, or increasing the number of notes that must be playedwithout making a mistake. “Notes in a row” may decrease in difficulty inthe various levels by allowing multiple attempts, allowing users to earnmore attempts, decreasing the tempo, or freezing certain notes.

Another mini-game that may be played is “Ear training” in which a useris given a tone audibly, and asked to play the same tone. For example, auser can be given a certain number of tones that they must playcorrectly in order to pass or win the mini-game. “Ear training” mayincrease in difficulty in the various levels by increasing the notecomplexity or increasing the number of tones that must be playedcorrectly in order to pass or win the mini-game. “Ear training” maydecrease in difficulty in the various levels by allowing multipleattempts, allowing users to earn more attempts, or providing a range ofpossible choices. For example, after hearing the tone, the user may beshown that the tone is played on the 3^(rd) string, and somewherebetween the 4^(th) and 8^(th) fret.

“Simon Says” is an additional mini-game that may be played, in which auser is briefly shown and played notes, and then is asked to play thesame notes. For example, a user may be shown and played a certain numberof notes, and then asked to play those same notes back. “Simon Says” mayincrease in difficulty throughout the levels by increasing the notecomplexity, increasing the number of notes that must be played back,increasing the speed of the scrolling notes that are shown to the user,or decreasing the time limit during which they must play back the notes.“Simon Says” may decrease in difficulty throughout the levels byallowing multiple attempts, allowing users to earn more attempts,providing the notes' strings but not the frets as the user plays thenotes back, or freezing certain notes.

Another mini-game that may be played is the “Looping notes” game inwhich a scrolling group of notes plays in a loop, and the user must playall of the notes before the time runs out. As the user makes mistakes,more notes may appear. The goal of the game may be to play all of thenotes displayed in a certain time frame, for example, 45 seconds.“Looping notes” may increase in difficulty throughout the levels byincreasing the note complexity, increasing the number of notes that mustbe played, increasing the speed at which the notes scroll across thescreen, decreasing the time limit in which the notes must be played, orincreasing the number of times that the notes must be played. “Loopingnotes” may decrease in difficulty throughout the levels by allowingmultiple attempts, allowing users to earn more attempts, allowing usersto earn more time in which to play all of the notes, freezing the notes,or allowing note pops which remove more than one note at a time from thescreen.

One more mini-game that may be played is a game where the “Song waitsuntil you play it right”. In this game, the full song may play until thehit line and wait for the user to play the queued note(s) correctly.Once the correct note(s) are played, the song commences again. If playedwell, the song would not skip a beat, but if not, the song will wait atthe hit line, until the user can play the correct note(s). For example,the goal of the game may be to play a 3 minute tune in under 5 minutesand to play a 5 note streak. “Song waits until you play it right” mayincrease in difficulty by setting a shorter time limit, limiting thenumber of mistakes allowed, or requiring the user to play a certainnumber of notes in a row in addition. “Song waits until you play itright” may decrease in difficulty over the levels by allowing users toearn more attempts, allowing users to earn more time, or keep playingthe song even if the user messes up. For example, if the user plays thecorrect notes in time for 10 notes in a row, the mini-game may allow afree mess up without stoppage.

Another mini-game that may be played may be “Rhythm action” in which auser must strum or play certain notes in sync with the rhythm that goesalong with the song being played. The goal may be to play in rhythm acertain percentage of the time, e.g., 75%. “Rhythm action” may increasein difficulty by limiting the number of mistakes allowed, increasing thenote complexity, or increasing the tempo of the rhythm. “Rhythm action”may decrease in complexity by allowing users to earn more attempts,allowing users to earn more time, or giving users credit or increases inscore for playing a certain number of notes in rhythm in a row.

Another mini-game that may be played is “Speed Trials” in which the goalof the user would be to play a shown sequence as fast as possible or intime. This game may help train the user in improving their play ofscales, speed exercises, chords or ear training Speed Trials may beplayed with a guitar neck view in which the notes of the entire sequencewould always be showing. The current note could be highlighted in acertain color (e.g., in white) and could enlarge. When the user hits thecurrent note, the next note in the sequence may be highlighted. If theuser hits an incorrect note, the note may turn a different color (e.g.,red). If the user hits the correct note, the note may turn a certaincolor (e.g., green). This may continue for a set amount of time (e.g.,one or two minutes). Speed Trials may also be played in a timeline view,in which case the current note may be situated on a hit line (or in ahit area), and as soon as the user hits the note, the system mayregister it as a hit or miss, and animate the note off of the screen.The timeline then may slide the notes so that the next note of thesequence is on the hit line (or within a hit area). Other variations ofthis mini-game could include having users play the notes on a beat, orhaving the users play the notes as fast as possible.

Another mini-game that may be played is “Find the Note” in which thegoal of the user is to play the correct note name shown. This mini-gamemay train a user in note recognition and ear training. In Find the Note,a note name may be shown with several fret options highlighted, and onlyone of the options may be correct. If the user hits the wrong note, thedisplay may turn a certain color (e.g., red) and the user's score may besubtracted. If the user hits the correct note, the display may turn adifferent color (e.g., green) and the user's score may be increased.Difficulty settings of this mini-game may increase or decrease (i.e. getharder or become easier) depending on the amount of false notes showing.

Another mini-game that may be played is “Find All Notes” in which thegoal of the user may be to play all of the highlighted notes on allpossible frets. In this game, a user may improve their note recognitionabilities. The mini-game may also help with ear training. In Find AllNotes, a note name may be shown on the display along with a number ofpossible places to play that note. Each time the user plays the correctnote on a fret, the note may be highlighted and the number of possibleplaces may be subtracted by one. Difficulty settings of this mini-gamemay increase or decrease (i.e. get harder or become easier) depending onthe amount of time given to find all of the possible notes.

In addition, because playing the guitar may be exhausting for newplayers, a range of non-guitar games may help with new players to combatfatigue. The non-guitar games may enable users to continue playing whileimproving their musical skill and music history. For example, users mayplay beat matching or note recognition games, or play musical historygames involving naming certain tunes, musical trivia or instrumentquizzes.

At the completion of each game, the user may be shown their score andother additional information (such as their friend's high scores, linksto a store, in-area concert ads, suggested challenges, etc.).

After the user completes all of the mini-games in a sub-level, the usercan complete the sub-level mini-boss or sub-level boss games. The bossgames may require the user to play an entire song or play an entire songcorrectly. It should be noted that each mini-game may be presented in anumber of view such as the Guitar Neck View, Timeline View, or CarouselView as appropriate.

As the user plays the various games, including the mini-games, mini-bossand boss in the sub-levels, the user's statistics can be stored anddisplayed. The user may keep track of their scores, their rankingagainst other users, their improvement, accuracy with regard toparticular chords, or even a breakdown of improvement with regard toparticular chords. One example of a user's statistics is shown in FIG.20. For example, a user's overall player ranking may be tracked andstored 2000. In addition, a user's song history may be kept and stored,and may include information such as the last song that the user played2001. A user's score on individual songs, or rankings on individualsongs compared to other users may be calculated and presented to theuser 2002. Other statistics could include information such as the user'sbest score, the number of wins, number of losses, the user's longestnote streak or other statistics 2002. The user's percentage improvementmay also be calculated, as well as broken down into the user'spercentage improvement with respect to playing a particular chord orchords 2003. Many types of statistics may be tracked and stored and arecontemplated herein.

Players may be able to earn points depending on their accuracy of play.For example, if there are 1,000 points possible, and a player has 50%accuracy in a playthrough, that user may earn 50 points for thatplaythrough. Once 1,000 points are earned from a song, then no morepoints may be earned from that song, perhaps except by mastering itthrough some other challenge. The system may vary the number of pointsearned, depending on whether the song is above or below the user's playlevel as well.

The system may also vary the number of points on a scale. For example,scores over 90% may automatically earn the full points of a song, and anadditional bonus point amount. This may allow expert users to move upquickly without having to repeat easy songs indefinitely. Additionally,each song mastered may add a modifier to a user's global point modifier.The amount added may be equal to 0.01*song or skill level, for example.Thus, if a user masters a level 2 song, a user may have 0.02 added totheir point modifier. Thus, mastering more songs allows user to move uplevels faster.

Players may also earn points through the amount of time that they havespent playing. This may reward users who may not be progressing asquickly, but are still putting in many hours trying to improve. Thus,for each hour that a user plays, a certain number of points may beearned. Also, perhaps for each consecutive day played, a certain numberof bonus points (a Time Bonus) could be added, thus encouraging users toplay daily. There may be a limit on the number of points that may beearned each day from the amount of time playing. For example, thePoints=(Time Playing*100)*(1+Time Bonus*0.25)).

Many games may be scored in different ways. For example, a StandardScoring mechanic may provide a certain number of points for eachsuccessfully hit note or chord (e.g., 75 points for each successfullyhit note, and 125 points for each successfully hit chord).

Many variables could be factored into a score equation. For example, onescoring equation could be: Score+=((POINTS*SB)−(DM*4))*(1+(SM*0.1))*PB.

Duration Modifier (DM):

Many notes may have a sustain duration associated with them. Releasingearly or late may add to the Duration Modifier (DM). The DurationModifier may be equal to the number of seconds away from the idealsustain. This would not apply to notes without sustain.

Sustain Bonus (SB):

If the user's sustain was within 0.25 seconds away from the idea (orsome other appropriate threshold), then the user may receive a SustainBonus that could increment (e.g., double) the amount of points earned.This would not apply to notes without sustain.

Streak Modifier (SM):

Additionally, each consecutive successful note may add to the StreakModifier. This may reward players for constancy and encourage mastery ofsongs in order to achieve a top score. For example, hitting ten (or someother number) of consecutive notes may increase (e.g., double) thepoints earned, hitting twenty consecutive notes may triple the pointsearned, and so on. There may not be a cap for the Streak Modifier.

Pedal Bonus (PB):

If the user successfully hits specially marked notes, a Pedal Bonus maybe unlocked. When the user next stomps on the A Button of the FootPedal, their score may be doubled (or otherwise increased) for a certainduration of time (e.g., the next 15 seconds).

Other games may implement a time scoring calculation. For example, inJukebox Wait sub-mode, the timeline may stop when the user does not hitthe correct note, and may only restart when the user plays the correctnote. Thus, a timer may indicate the difference between the ideal timeand the player's actual time. For these types of games, a time may befactored into the scoring equation. For example then, a Time Modifier(TM) may be factored into the scoring equation. In one embodiment, foreach second away from the ideal time, a point may be added to the TimeModifier. The Score would then be equal to the Standard ScoringEquation*(1−(TM*0.01)), for example.

One skilled in the art can appreciate that various types of statistics,scores and rankings may be stored, tracked and calculated, and are notlimited to the particular embodiments described herein.

The system may also incorporate a leveling system which divides groupsof users into distinct levels based on their guitar experience andability. This would allow the system to recommend mini-games and songsto users that will be challenging but not frustrating and allow users tofind people of similar ability to challenge and collaborate. The levelsmay be increased by earning experience points. Each song may be assessedand assigned a difficulty, which would allow the system to suggestappropriate songs to users and encourage exploration of new music with auser's skill level.

A user's statistics may be recorded and stored, allowing the system toidentify what a user is struggling with and allowing the system tosuggest new music or mini-games that could help the user overcome thosestruggles. The suggestions could be scaled to the user's proficiency,ensuring compelling gameplay and continued demonstrable incrementalimprovements. It would also give the user a sense of satisfaction ofbeing able to look over these statistics and see their improvement overtime. This may encourage the user to continue playing as well as focuson errors where their statistics show room for improvement. For example,statistics that may be tracked include the user's worse/best notetransition, worst/best chord transition, worst/best song segment, timewinning/losing, notes hit/missed, songsplayed/learned/mastered/domination, world/country/regional ranking,songs purchased, highest/lowest score, longest streak, time streaking,etc.

Further, when users complete special tasks, they may be given anachievement as evidence of their accomplishment. Achievements mayencourage users to explore new areas of the game as well as perform atthe highest level possible. Users may be able to show off theseachievements and compare them with their friends. For example, a usermay achieve X number of note streaks, X number of songs with a certainhit accuracy, won X number of matches against other users, completed Xnumber of songs by the same artist, completed an artist's album,completed X number of songs, purchased X number of songs, etc. Otherachievements may include finishing a song without touching a string,finishing two songs in a row from vastly different genres, beating thesame person X number of times in a row, beating X number of songs on acertain subject or from a certain genre (e.g., sex, drugs, brokenhearts, love, pre-1950, girl songs, boy songs, pop song, songs from acertain artist, campfire songs, etc.), or playing X number of songs at acertain hour, playing the game at X different locations, etc. Oneexample of a user's statistics is shown in FIG. 21.

The software or game engine may also employ an online component. In FIG.22, the game engine may interact with a web page, in which a user 2202may purchase a song from a web page or web site 2201 through the game2203. The game 2203 may then take the newly purchased song online, suchas from a web page 2201, and allow the newly purchased songs to beplayed 2204 through the game 2204.

Further, as users play through songs, the system may leverage the dataavailable on the Internet to provide value-added information for theusers. This may allow users to easily find out more information aboutthe music that they are playing. In addition, statistics tracking, skillprogression, daily progress, play histories, and other features may beavailable online. A user may be able to follow along with their friend'sachievements, and challenge and encourage each other. Talented playersmay amass fans and give others pointers on how to play certain songs.Teachers and parents may follow along with daily progress and receiveweekly breakdowns through email, for example. Users may be able to beprovided feedback about how they compare to other people in their localcommunities. For example, when a user starts playing, they may be the“best player within 10 feet” and after playing for a few weeks, they mayadvance to the “best player within 100 miles.”

It should be understood from the foregoing that, while particularimplementations have been illustrated and described, variousmodifications can be made thereto and are contemplated herein. It isalso not intended that the invention be limited by the specific examplesprovided within the specification. While the invention has beendescribed with reference to the aforementioned specification, thedescriptions and illustrations of the preferable embodiments herein arenot meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Furthermore, it shall beunderstood that all aspects of the invention are not limited to thespecific depictions, configurations or relative proportions set forthherein which depend upon a variety of conditions and variables. Variousmodifications in form and detail of the embodiments of the inventionwill be apparent to a person skilled in the art. It is thereforecontemplated that the invention shall also cover any such modifications,variations and equivalents.

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium with a computerprogram stored thereon, wherein the computer program is operable topresent an interactive game for playing a song on a guitar, wherein thecomputer program instructs one or more processors to perform the stepsof: presenting, on a display device, a plurality of fingering notationscorresponding to the song to be played by a user; receiving, from aguitar input device, an analog or digital audio signal when the guitaris played by the user, wherein the received signal corresponds to thesong played by the user; assessing a performance of the song as playedby the user; based on the assessed performance, determining a portion ofthe performance that should be improved; and based on the assessedperformance and the determined portion of the performance that should beimproved, selectively changing a difficulty level of at least a portionof the presented plurality of fingering notations corresponding to thesong.
 2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein theselectively changing a difficulty level of at least a portion of thepresented plurality of fingering notations includes changing a frequencyor a speed of the presented plurality of fingering notations.
 3. Thecomputer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the selectivelychanging a difficulty level is performed in real time during the playingof the song.
 4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, whereinthe computer program instructs the processor to generate at least onemini-game targeted to improving the user's skills associated withperformance of the determined portion.
 5. The computer readable storagemedium of claim 4, wherein the at least one mini-game is different fromthe song on which the user's performance is assessed.
 6. The computerreadable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the guitar is one of anacoustic guitar or an electric guitar.
 7. The computer readable storagemedium of claim 1, wherein the computer program instructs the processorto display, on the display device, a hit line at which the user is toplay a particular note or chord of the plurality of fingering notations,wherein the assessed performance of the song is based at least in parton how close to the hit line the user played the note or chord.
 8. Thecomputer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computerprogram instructs the processor to assess past performances of the userand recommend appropriate songs based on a skill level of the user asdetermined from the past performances.
 9. A non-transitory computerreadable storage medium with a computer program stored thereon, whereinthe computer program is operable to present an interactive game forplaying a song on a guitar, wherein the computer program instructs oneor more processors to perform the steps of: presenting, on a displaydevice, a first plurality of fingering notations corresponding to thesong to be played by a user; receiving, from a guitar input device, ananalog or digital audio signal when the guitar is played by the user,wherein the received signal corresponds to the song played by the user;assessing a performance of the song as played by the user; based on theassessed performance, determining a portion of the performance thatshould be improved; based on the assessed performance and the determinedportion of the performance that should be improved, selecting orcreating at least one mini-game to improve the user's accuracy of playof the guitar of the determined portion of the performance that shouldbe improved; presenting, on the display device, a second plurality offingering notations corresponding to the at least one mini-game, whereinthe first plurality of fingering notations is different than the secondplurality of fingering notations.
 10. The computer readable storagemedium of claim 9, wherein the at least one mini-game addressesweaknesses related to the user's playing of a note or chord of the songor timing of play of the song based on the assessed performance.
 11. Thecomputer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the at least onemini-game selectively changes a frequency or a speed of the presentedsecond plurality of fingering notations as compared to the firstplurality of fingering notations corresponding to the song.
 12. Thecomputer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the guitar is oneof an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar.
 13. The computer readablestorage medium of claim 9, wherein the computer program instructs theprocessor to display, on the display device, a hit line at which theuser is to play a particular note or chord of the first plurality offingering notations, wherein the assessed performance of the song isbased at least in part on how close to the hit line the user played thenote or chord.
 14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1,wherein the computer program instructs the processor to assess pastperformances of the user and recommend appropriate songs based on askill level of the user as determined from the past performances.
 15. Anon-transitory computer readable storage medium with a computer programstored thereon, wherein the computer program is operable to present aninteractive game for playing a song on a guitar, wherein the computerprogram instructs one or more processors to perform the steps of:presenting, on a display device, a first plurality of fingeringnotations corresponding to the song to be played by a user; receiving,from a guitar input device, an analog or digital audio signal when theguitar is played by the user, wherein the received signal corresponds tothe song played by the user; assessing a performance of the song asplayed by the user; based on the assessed performance, determining aportion of the performance that should be improved; based on theassessed performance and the determined portion of the performance thatshould be improved, selecting or creating at least one mini-game toimprove the user's accuracy of play, wherein the at least one mini-gamecomprises a second plurality of fingering notations presented on thedisplay device; and selectively changing a difficulty level of the atleast one mini-game by changing a frequency or a speed of the presentedsecond plurality of fingering notations.
 16. The computer readablestorage medium of claim 15, wherein the at least one mini-game addressesweaknesses related to the user's playing of a note or chord of the songor timing of play of the song based on the assessed performance.
 17. Thecomputer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the selectivelychanging a difficulty level of the at least one mini-game includeschanging a frequency or a speed of the presented second plurality offingering notations as compared to the first plurality of fingeringnotations corresponding to the song.
 18. The computer readable storagemedium of claim 15, wherein the at least one mini-game is different fromthe song on which the user's performance is assessed.
 19. The computerreadable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the guitar is one of anacoustic guitar or an electric guitar.
 20. The computer readable storagemedium of claim 15, wherein the computer program instructs the processorto display, on the display device, a hit line at which the user is toplay a particular note or chord of the plurality of fingering notations,wherein the assessed performance of the song is based at least in parton how close to the hit line the user played the note or chord.